The summer before my senior year of high school, I became obsessed with the idea of having that quintessential “Senior Summer” that you only see in movies. You know the kind: where you’re taking in a different concert every weekend, spending lazy weekdays hanging out with friends, chasing ice cream trucks, and seeking relief from the heat by practically moving in to the air-conditioned movie theater. Essentially, just cramming in Fun Activities To Remember before the friends I’d always known parted ways and journeyed off to college. Of course, this also came with the idea of crafting the perfect Summer Playlist, filled with only the hottest chart-topping hits and the loud and catchy songs we couldn’t help but blast when driving in the car.

Fast-forward to Summer 2K17, and I’m finding that I am having a really different experience of the season. Now is another transitional time in my life, but this time it is completely unexpected. No “going off to college,” and obvious graduations on the horizon, but new horizons ahead nonetheless. With all that comes a total change in the summer activities I have been up to lately… and a major update in what I think is Summer Playlist-worthy. I’m listening to the kind of music I want to share with friends in different, nostalgic kind of way: by sending links and saying, “these lyrics reminded me of you.”

I am telling you all this because I have been surprised to discover that I’ve found my personal summer playlist this year in Keaton Stromberg‘s debut solo album, The Simple Life. Though I shouldn’t be too shocked, as this music release in particular marks both a starting out and starting over for Keaton himself. Each track is full of refreshingly honest lyrics about growing up, fearing the unknown, and the past-influenced future — paired with mellow sounds that are essential to have on your playlist this season and beyond.

When Celeb Secrets recently caught up with Keaton, he exclusively shared with us that putting his solo work out there has been a combination of perfecting the voice he has been working on for many years while introducing listeners to who he is right at this exact moment.

“I actually started writing seven years ago, because I’ve never really officially released music under my own name,” he tells us. “But I started writing the title track, ‘The Simple Life,’ about seven years ago, and I had recorded demos over those years, [and] just kind of finally finalized it recently… and I’ve had all these other songs built up [from] writing over these past few years.”

“It’s crazy to see that people are there listening to what I’ve worked so hard on,” Keaton adds, explaining that the new stuff he has ahead will continue to show off how his sound is maturing and growing.

I’m all about the direction Keaton’s work is headed, and look forward to, to quote him, what “new songs [he’ll] be singing.”

You can check out the full interview with Keaton in the video above, and make sure to check out his album The Simple Life, which is available on Spotify and iTunes now.

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